Skylight construction



April 22, 1947. G H LENKE SKYLIGHT CONSTRUCT ION Filed March 20, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 22, 1947. G. H. ENKE 2,419,267

SKYLI GHT CONSTRUCTION G. jZLenlc'e Patented Apr. 22, 1947 SKYLIGHT CONSTRUCTION George H. Lenke, Elmhurst, Ill., assignor of onehalf t Julius J. OhliS, Oak Park, Ill.

Application March 20, 1946, Serial No. 655,854

l. 'This invention relates to skylights and more particularly to those .having heat insulating values, having for its object to provide a construction which is more readily formed and at lesser cost'than those heretofore proposed.

' With these and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel details of construction andcombinations of parts as will be disclosed more'fullylhereinafter and particularly covered bythe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification and in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views,

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation in plan of a portionv of a skylight;

Fig. 2 is a Vertical sectional View through a skylight made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view showing' a modification of the construction shown in Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a frame for supporting a hollow glass block used in the skylight construction; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional View of the frame shown in Fig. 4, said view taken as on the line v5--5 thereof and looking in the direction of the arrows.

The skylight according to this invention comprises a plurality of intersecting ribs extending across the opening in the roof for the skylight, the intersecting ribs forming any desired geometric pattern, the areas defined by the intersecting ribs constituting light admitting cells, and in each cell there is fitted a hollow glass block having heat insulating values as Well as the `ability totransmit light rays. One of the patterns contemplated is indicated in Fig. 1 wherein the intersec/ting Aribs are rectangularly arranged and spaced from each other so as to provide square cells for the accommodation of the square hollow blocks indicated by the numeral 2, but it is to vbe understood that other geometric patterns may be utilized in connection with skylight glasses of regular polygonal form other than squares. Y

The ribs preferably are of concrete and with reference to Fig. 2, the rib 3 is shown parallelly disposed to another rib 4, these ribs being continuous across the skylight opening withtheir ends vsupported in any convenient manner, each rib being of a vertical height slightly less than the thickness of the hollow glass blocks such as 2, theY ribs preferably being reinforced as by the tie rods srunning in one direction, and by the tie rods 6 running crosswise thereto and reinforcing 6l Claims. (Cl. 10S-16) the intersecting ribs. Suitable forms are employed when pouring the concrete to form said ribs, whereby the entire rib structure is monolithic. The transverse shape of a rib may be as desired, the ribs shown in the drawings having vertical sides which are slightly tapered convergently in their upward extent.

To assist in forming or casting the ribs, as well as to serve as a support for the hollow glass blocks, there are utilized a plurality of metallic frames such as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, which frames are of light Weight metal, preferably cast aluminum. Each frame is of a dimension and shape to conform with the cell formed by the intersecting ribs, and comprises a planar base p0rtion Il) with a continuous upwardly extending wall portion II whose uppermost edge portion I2 is deflected angularly out of the plane of said wall in order to serve as an anchoring means to hold said frame to the concrete ribs, said edge portion being outwardly deected With respect to said frame, In the preferred embodiment of this invention, interiitting and/or interlocking lugs are formed at spaced intervals along the outer edge portions of the base I0 of said frame, in Figs. 4 and 5 the male lug I3 being illustrated on one edge of the frame and a complementally formed female lug I4 being shown on the opposite edge of the frame so that, when two similarly formed frames are brought into juxtaposed relation, the complementally formed lugs will coengage and/or interlock, to the end that the outer edge l5 of the one frame will abut the opposite outer edge I 6 of said juxtaposed frame. These lugs may be of any suitable formations which will coengage and/or interlock, and if desired for some installations they may be omitted, as indicated in the modification shown in Fig. 3. The base portion I0 of the frame extends in both directions from the wall portion II, the outward extension thereof providing the abutting frame edges I5 and I6 just mentioned, and the inward extension there- `of providing the iiange or seat for supporting the glass block.

In the casting of the ribs, a suitable platform or support is provided upon which the plurality of frames are positioned with their base portions IIJ resting upon said platform and their edges in abutment with each other and intersecured by the lugs I3 and I4. Then suitable substantially vertical side-boards are erected to form theribs, said side-boards automatically being positioned by the surfacesof the upstanding walls I I of said frames, and then the reinforcing rods 5 and 6 are positioned, after which the concrete is poured.

rection across the skylight, are continuous fromy one side to the other of the skylight, but those strips such as 22 which are positioned trans-1,

versely of the strips 20 are intercostal with respect to the strips 20 as indicated/in Fig. 21. The upper flat flange portions of all of the cover strips are caused to lie substantially in the same plane, which Vplane will include the top surfaces ofthe glass blocks when'said blocks 'are deposited inthe light cells.

After Vthe concrete rib structure has set, theV forms arere'move'd, and then a hollow glass block is vinserted into each skylight cell defined b'y Vsaid ribs, said block Corning to resten and loeinf',y 'iupported by the inwardly extending flange pertion 23 Yof thebas'e portion 10 ofthe frame, and sealing compound 2l 'of any suitable character is pressed into the A'space between each block and the side'surfaee of a r'ib, aswell as into the 'space b'ieath'th'e cover strips, said compound being trweled Vsno'thly withres'pct V'to the Ytop Ysurfaces 'of theglass blocks andthe said cover strips. ,l Thus i't will be lseen that by this construction tlereisp'rovid`ed a pluralityof prefr'med coactligfblock supporting Vframes VVwhich themselves 'constitute -the bottom form up'on'which the concrte ribs are `cast, and'that the upstanding wall portions l'l of said'framesserve automatically to psition the'side-boards which are employed as the for'rnis'forthe sides ofthe cast concrete ribs. Further, said vframes serve as spacers Vfor centering 'tlie cast concrete ribs on prescribed centers, dueto the fact that said frames are'preformed inacco'rdance with the dimensions of the light'ad-mitting cell andthe block employed therein, the said upstanding wall "portions ll vof the frames determining'the such centering. Lastly, the frames are anchored'to the ribs by Virtue of the deflected upper edg'e portions l 2 of said walls, byvi'rtue'of said edge portions being embedded in "thejcast ribs, and the entire skylight construction is Yg'iv'er'l a substantially flush undersurfa'ce sincev the base portions of said frames are of relatively thin metal extending inappreciably beyond the plane of the bottom surfaces ofthe 4 to the contiguous ribs and provided with an outwardly extending flange underlying the bottom surfaces of said ribs, the lateral edge of said flange in abutment with the lateral edge of the flange of the next adjacent and similarly formed frame to provide a ush under-surface of the skylight parallel to said plane.

v2. In skylight construction .the combination of intersecting concrete ribs defining .light-transmitting cells; a light-transmitting glass in each 4cell; and a metallic frame for each cell, each frame conforming to the shape of the cell and the glass -therein and disposed at the lowermost portion 4of the cell, said frame having an upstanding wall `portion generally disposed in the plane of a side surface of a rib, and also having lan `'inwardly Vextending flange portion for supporting the glass in the cell, said frame anchored to a rib through the instrumentality of said Wall,

glass blocks supported thereby, resulting in a neat'appea'rance. The lateral extent of the flange seats '23`for the blocks being only suflicient to spllft Said blocks, a'ma'xilnum of light transmission is lprovided by each cell.

'Its'obvious thatthose skilled in the art may vary the details of construction and arrangements-of parts without departing'from the spirit ofthis invention, wherefore itis desired not to be Ilirriited 'to the exact foregoing disclosure except as may be'requied bythe claims.

What is claimed is:

1; In skylight construction the combination of intersecting concrete ribs defining light-transmitting cells,'the bottom surfaces of said ribs lying in 'a common plane; 'a vlight-transmitting glassin each cell; anda metallic framefor supporting the glass inthe celljsai'd frame anchored and having an outwardly extending flange underlying the 'bottom surfaces of the contiguous ribs.

3. In skylight 'construction the combinatinof intersecting concrete ribs defining light-transmitting cells; `a light-transmitting'glass in each cell; and a metallic Vframedisposed atthe'lowermost portion of the cell v*for supporting y'the 'glass in the cell, said r`frame having an upstandiii'g 'wall portion generally disposed 'in Athe V'plane "eff a side surface of a rib, the edge portion ofsaid Wailbeing deflectedand extending viin'to'tlie 'bciiy of a 'rib whereby t0 varieh'Or'salid frame' toaid rib, said frame 'also' having 'an outward1y'extenin'g' flange underlying the bottom surfacesof the'ehtiguous ribs. A

4. 'A 'frame for suppcrting aig'lass in alighttlahsnitt'g `dell b'f a'sk'ylight, tl'ieslich cell -de fined by 'Concrete Side fnel'nbea said Tfr-aine conplsing aplanr base 'portion a'nd/Wall 'extending upwardly therefrom, said base portion and Said'wall 'having CO'lltnuils e'Xtet relatlve'sad frameth'e edg-e'lprtinof said `Wall"'deeeted t of the plane of said wall to provide an anchoring means fo'r said frame'relativesuch concrete'side members, the base `portio'n comprising a section directed outwardly "withrespect to Said frame beyond said walland adapted to underlie 'the' bottom 'surfaces 'of such side members.

5..A frame 'for supporting a vglass Yina light; transmitting cell er a skylight, the such cell deiind'by concrete side members, said'frame comprising a planar base'portion-and a wall extending upwardly therefrom, said base portion and said'wall having continuous extent relative fsaid frame, the-edgelportion of said wall-deflected eut of the 4plane Vof said wall'to -providean anchoring meansfo'r'said framerelative such concretefsi'de members, the base portion comprising one sectionidirected inwardly of said fframeffrom said wall to lprovide'a seat Ifor the `glass, andcompising another'section directed outwardly cf said frame Afrom said walltounderliethebottom surfaces'of such side members, the-outer edge'of-the outwardly directed section of said'base por-tion on opposite sides ofthe frame having -complementally formed membersadaptedtointerfltwith similarly formedrmembers-of anadjacent frame.

6. A frame for-supporting a-glass Vin alighttransmitting cell of A-a skylight,-the such cellfdened by concreteside members,A said Iframexcomprising a planar base portion anda wall-extending upwardly therefrom, said base portion andy-said wall having continuous/extent relative'sa-i'dlframe, the eugepertionfof'saitl wall deflected out f'the plane Vofsaid wall `t'o"15r` \`1ide `a`nl anchoring means S for said frame relative such concrete side members, the base portion extended inwardly of said frame beyond said Wall to provide a seat for the glass, the outer edge of said base portion on opposite sides of the frame having complementally formed members adapted to intert with similarly formed members of an adjacent frame.

GEORGE H. LENKE.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Old Jan. 3, 1933 Number 

